"It was a wonderful experience interacting with you and appreciate the way you have planned and executed the whole publication process within the agreed timelines.”
Subrat SaurabhAuthor of Kuch Woh Pal
Hyderabad cricket has had a long and colourful history involving flamboyant players with interesting stories behind them. The game was first patronized by the aristocrats of the region especially Nawab Moin ud Dowla Bahadur who was a great cricket lover and ensured that the leading names of the pre-independence period were seen in action in Hyderabad.
Players like CK Nayudu, Lala Amarnath, Mohammed Nissar and Englishmen such as Jack Hobbs and Bert Sutcliffe played on the fields of Hyderabad back then.
There was a man named Syed Mohammad Hadi who represented India in the Davis Cup and also scored the first ever century in the Ranji trophy back in the 1930s.
Hadi was talented in so many sports that someone nicknamed him Rainbow Hadi. He had as many skills as the colours of a rainbow.
This book chronicles the beginnings and subsequent development of Hyderabad cricket right up to its present time and status. There was an aura about cricket in Hyderabad that was in keeping with the culture and ethos of the city. The lifestyle of Hyderabad was unique in the sense that it reflected the language and attitudes of the people who live in the city. It also had an effect on the way the game was played in this region.
There are insights into the lives and careers of players such as M.L. Jaisimha, Mohammed Azharuddin, V.V.S. Laxman, Venkatapathy Raju and many others. Their exclusive comments and interviews with the author are fascinating to read
Abhijit Sen Gupta, Sanjay Saxena (Editor)
Abhijit Sen Gupta:
Abhijit Sen Gupta is a freelance journalist who writes on sports and other topics for Siasat.com. He earlier worked for 35 years as a sports correspondent of The Hindu newspaper and covered matches in different sports such as cricket, football, hockey, boxing, athletics, badminton, tennis and sailing. He has co-authored a book with Victor Amalraj, former captain of the Indian football team, titled Midfield Maestro.
Sanjay Saxena:
Sanjay Saxena is an entrepreneur based out of the USA. He holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Communication and Journalism degree from Osmania University, Hyderabad, India. He is the recipient of the prestigious "Indian Herald Gold Medal" awarded by Osmania University. He did Graduate work in Journalism at University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, USA. Sanjay is an internationally known Tabla artiste and performs at several music festivals. He is the author of the book "A Short Collection of Proverbs from India."
